Thermal interface materials are used to couple a heat generating device (e.g., a die or a lidded die) to a heat sink or a cold plate. Thermal interface materials are available in several forms, including a gel, a paste, a pad, or a grease. Very thin bond lines can be achieved with pastes and/or gels and are, therefore, favored for those applications where high heat loads need to be dissipated from the chip or die. One problem associated with the paste or gel, however, is thermal “pumping” that occurs during power cycling. That is, system power results in the components heating up and subsequently expanding and reducing the bond line. With system power off, components cool and contract, and the bond line increases. The net result of this cyclic expansion/contraction is that the thermal interface material is pumped out of the bond line, resulting in air gaps or voids, which are detrimental to system performance. Consequently, the advantages of using a gel or grease thermal interface material are offset by this degradation in performance.